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For Immediate Release:
Jen Armson, Women's Volleyball Contact
Penn State Athletic Communications
Ph: 814-865-1757, Fax: 814-863-3165
Jen Armson, Women's Volleyball Contact
Penn State Athletic Communications
Ph: 814-865-1757, Fax: 814-863-3165
Email: jma19@...
Penn State Women's Volleyball Tabbed
As Big Ten Preseason Favorite
Fawcett, Harmotto and Walbridge earn
preseason honors from the coaches
University Park, Pa., Aug. 17, 2006 - The three-time defending Big Ten champion Penn State women's volleyball team has been voted as the preseason favorite for the upcoming season for the second consecutive year by the league coaches, conference officials announced today. In addition, three Nittany Lion players earned Preseason All-Big Ten honors from the coaches. Junior middle hitter Melissa Walbridge (Yardley, Pa.), sophomore outside hitter Nicole Fawcett (Zanesfield, Ohio) and sophomore middle hitter Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.) all earned the first conference preseason honor of their careers, with Fawcett and Harmotto picking up the only two unanimous selections to the 12-person squad.
Ranked No. 2 in the CSTV/AVCA National Preseason Coaches Poll and No. 3 by RichKern.com, the Nittany Lions topped the preseason Big Ten poll for the third time since 2001. Wisconsin was picked second in the conference preseason poll while Minnesota was slated third, Ohio State picked fourth and Purdue tabbed fifth. Northwestern, Michigan State, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa and Indiana rounded out the poll.
Penn State is one of three schools to have multiple student-athletes on the Preseason All-Big Ten squad, which is comprised of 12 players from six schools. Katie Johnson (Michigan State), Kelly Bowman (Minnesota), Jessy Jones (Minnesota), Meredith Nelson (Minnesota), Marisa Main (Ohio State), Danielle Meyer (Ohio State), Ami Stevens (Ohio State), Stephanie Lynch (Purdue) and Audra Jeffers (Wisconsin) filled out the remaining spots.
Walbridge, a second team AVCA All-America and First Team All-Big Ten selection a year ago, led the squad and the Big Ten and ranked sixth in the nation in hitting percentage (.413) last season, also good for seventh on Penn State's single-season record chart. She ranked second on the team in blocks per game with 1.48, and in conference-only matches, averaged 2.65 kills per game while hitting .449, more than 50 percentage points higher than the next competitor. Walbridge recorded a league-leading 1.63 blocks per game in Big Ten-only contests, and for the season, posted 26 matches of three or more blocks and 14 matches with five or more blocks. She also led the Nittany Lions with 29 service aces.
Fawcett, last season's Big Ten and AVCA National Freshman of the Year, led the Lions and ranked third in the Big Ten with an average of 4.51 kills per game on .309 hitting. Also ranking second in conference-only matches with 4.53 kills per game, she recorded 31 double-digit kill matches and tallied 16 matches with 15 or more kills. Fawcett's 496 kills last year ranks 11th on the single-season record chart and she also ranked fifth in the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.341) in conference-only matches. Fawcett ranked fifth on the team in digs per game with 1.80 and also had 24 multiple-block matches.
Harmotto, last season a First Team All-Big Ten and honorable mention AVCA All-America pick, led Penn State with an average of 1.50 blocks per game, good for 12th on the single-season charts. She ranked second on the team and third in the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.356), including hitting .378 for third in conference-only matches. Harmotto ranked second on the team in kills per game (2.96), recording at least six kills in 28 of 29 matches, also posting 14 matches with five or more blocks.
The Nittany Lions open up the 2006 slate at the LSU Classic in Baton Rouge, La., against Nicholls State, Rice and the host Tigers on Aug. 25-26 and then host the Penn State Invitational on Sept. 1-2 with Eastern Kentucky, West Virginia and Duke.
University Park, Pa., Aug. 17, 2006 - The three-time defending Big Ten champion Penn State women's volleyball team has been voted as the preseason favorite for the upcoming season for the second consecutive year by the league coaches, conference officials announced today. In addition, three Nittany Lion players earned Preseason All-Big Ten honors from the coaches. Junior middle hitter Melissa Walbridge (Yardley, Pa.), sophomore outside hitter Nicole Fawcett (Zanesfield, Ohio) and sophomore middle hitter Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.) all earned the first conference preseason honor of their careers, with Fawcett and Harmotto picking up the only two unanimous selections to the 12-person squad.
Ranked No. 2 in the CSTV/AVCA National Preseason Coaches Poll and No. 3 by RichKern.com, the Nittany Lions topped the preseason Big Ten poll for the third time since 2001. Wisconsin was picked second in the conference preseason poll while Minnesota was slated third, Ohio State picked fourth and Purdue tabbed fifth. Northwestern, Michigan State, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa and Indiana rounded out the poll.
Penn State is one of three schools to have multiple student-athletes on the Preseason All-Big Ten squad, which is comprised of 12 players from six schools. Katie Johnson (Michigan State), Kelly Bowman (Minnesota), Jessy Jones (Minnesota), Meredith Nelson (Minnesota), Marisa Main (Ohio State), Danielle Meyer (Ohio State), Ami Stevens (Ohio State), Stephanie Lynch (Purdue) and Audra Jeffers (Wisconsin) filled out the remaining spots.
Walbridge, a second team AVCA All-America and First Team All-Big Ten selection a year ago, led the squad and the Big Ten and ranked sixth in the nation in hitting percentage (.413) last season, also good for seventh on Penn State's single-season record chart. She ranked second on the team in blocks per game with 1.48, and in conference-only matches, averaged 2.65 kills per game while hitting .449, more than 50 percentage points higher than the next competitor. Walbridge recorded a league-leading 1.63 blocks per game in Big Ten-only contests, and for the season, posted 26 matches of three or more blocks and 14 matches with five or more blocks. She also led the Nittany Lions with 29 service aces.
Fawcett, last season's Big Ten and AVCA National Freshman of the Year, led the Lions and ranked third in the Big Ten with an average of 4.51 kills per game on .309 hitting. Also ranking second in conference-only matches with 4.53 kills per game, she recorded 31 double-digit kill matches and tallied 16 matches with 15 or more kills. Fawcett's 496 kills last year ranks 11th on the single-season record chart and she also ranked fifth in the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.341) in conference-only matches. Fawcett ranked fifth on the team in digs per game with 1.80 and also had 24 multiple-block matches.
Harmotto, last season a First Team All-Big Ten and honorable mention AVCA All-America pick, led Penn State with an average of 1.50 blocks per game, good for 12th on the single-season charts. She ranked second on the team and third in the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.356), including hitting .378 for third in conference-only matches. Harmotto ranked second on the team in kills per game (2.96), recording at least six kills in 28 of 29 matches, also posting 14 matches with five or more blocks.
The Nittany Lions open up the 2006 slate at the LSU Classic in Baton Rouge, La., against Nicholls State, Rice and the host Tigers on Aug. 25-26 and then host the Penn State Invitational on Sept. 1-2 with Eastern Kentucky, West Virginia and Duke.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.
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Jen Armson
Assistant Athletic Communications
Director
Penn State University
101D Bryce Jordan Center
University Park, PA
16802
Phone: 814/865-1757 ~ Fax:
814/863-3165
jma19@...
jma19@...
www.GoPSUsports.com
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when no one cares who gets the credit."
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